U.S. President Donald Trump. Yonhap News.

The Donald Trump administration is increasingly likely to deploy military forces to Chicago, where the mayor is a Democrat, for public safety reasons, following similar actions in the capital, Washington D.C.

"We have received a limited request for support from the Department of Homeland Security for facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support the department's operations," said Great Lakes Navy Base spokesperson Matt Mogul, located about 56 km north of Chicago, on the 28th (local time), according to AP.

However, Mogul added that they have not yet decided whether to accept the request and have not received a formal request to support the deployment of the National Guard.

AP analyzed this as "the request shows the Republican administration's determination to intensify immigration enforcement and expand it beyond Washington to other areas."

The Department of Homeland Security's "operations" appear to refer to large-scale crackdowns on undocumented immigrants.

However, if military personnel are deployed to major cities, they could be tasked not only with immigration enforcement but also with supporting public safety and crime suppression efforts currently underway by the National Guard in Washington D.C.

Previously, President Trump had suggested the possibility of deploying military personnel to Chicago, citing public safety concerns.

He told reporters on the 22nd, "Chicago is a mess and the mayor is very incompetent. We'll probably fix that next. It's not that hard."

Chicago, the political base of former President Barack Obama, is the third-largest city in the United States and is led by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat. The governor of Illinois, where Chicago is located, is also JB Pritzker, a Democrat.

Upon hearing President Trump's threat of military deployment, they held a press conference on the 25th and strongly opposed the plan, calling it "unconstitutional and anti-American."

Yonhap News